Another highlight of last weekend was watching Dame Zara's odometer pass (1)61,700 miles, indicating that she has carried us for 10,000 trouble-free miles* in only 21 months.
(*well, there was that one time when she conked out at dusk, in the rain, but only 200 metres from home due to a dodgy alternator--but luckily I cruised to a halt at the 7/11 petrol station where all the local African cabbies hang out, and I got a jump-start straight away then crept home through the last two sets of lights and up the hill with just my sidelights on!)
Monday, October 22, 2007
A nice view, a hint of the transatlantic and a diplomatic Sceptre
More pics from the Rootes GT Day/Hillman centenary at the Point Cook Homestead.
The view from behind the wheel of an early Alpine—one day, Roger Phipps!
A 1936 Humber Hawk demonstrates that even before WWII Rootes’ styling mixed British tradition with hints of brash Americana--maybe even a hint of Mercedes?
We’ve always coveted Leighton’s perfect 1966 Humber Sceptre—it was a special order for the wife of the then Australian High Commissioner in London and comes with every option: automatic, tinted glass, special upholstery, etc, etc.
The view from behind the wheel of an early Alpine—one day, Roger Phipps!
A 1936 Humber Hawk demonstrates that even before WWII Rootes’ styling mixed British tradition with hints of brash Americana--maybe even a hint of Mercedes?
We’ve always coveted Leighton’s perfect 1966 Humber Sceptre—it was a special order for the wife of the then Australian High Commissioner in London and comes with every option: automatic, tinted glass, special upholstery, etc, etc.
Getting back to our Rootes
Last Sunday morning Kathy and I climbed into a very dirty Dame Zara (the combination of water restrictions and a dark colour makes for a very spotty car after the merest shower) and set off a few hundred metres up the road to Melbourne University to meet up with an assortment of Rootesmobiles—on this occasional all either Sunbeams, Singers or Humbers—who were setting off on an observation run.
Our destination was the historic Point Cook Homestead (est. 1857) south-west of Melbourne, where the Hillman side of the Rootes family was hosting a big display to celebrate their marque’s centenary.
We set off among the numerous Alpines (including one 1954 Alpine that possibly had a Grace Kelly connection!), two Singer Gazelles (including our RGCC friend Helen in her rare station wagon ‘Essie’), a Sunbeam-Talbot or two, a cute pre-war Singer and a big 1940s Humber Snipe on a torturous route through Kensington and Footscray, then into the windy flatlands down Laverton/Hoppers Crossing way.
We were clearly an inner-city bunch, as everyone got progressively more lost the further we headed into the industrial backblocks and suburban developments—led astray mainly by a red Harrington Le Mans Alpine, which we kept seeing coming on the other side of the road. ‘Where’s he going? Are we lost?’ was the cry as the stragglers stopped at each intersection and roundabout.
It was the first really hot (30-degrees-plus) day of the impending summer, and everyone’s windows were down and many an anxious eye was directed at temperature gauges—even the normally cool-running Dame Zara was getting into the middle of her gauge.
Eventually we all got back on track and ended up on the long, dusty, corrugated dirt road that leads to the homestead. At the end of the drive we were greeted with dozens of Hillmans lined up around the open ground between the homestead buildings. Most of the observation run participants aimed for a shady spot under the trees by the water.
Enough words, some pics:
Our destination was the historic Point Cook Homestead (est. 1857) south-west of Melbourne, where the Hillman side of the Rootes family was hosting a big display to celebrate their marque’s centenary.
We set off among the numerous Alpines (including one 1954 Alpine that possibly had a Grace Kelly connection!), two Singer Gazelles (including our RGCC friend Helen in her rare station wagon ‘Essie’), a Sunbeam-Talbot or two, a cute pre-war Singer and a big 1940s Humber Snipe on a torturous route through Kensington and Footscray, then into the windy flatlands down Laverton/Hoppers Crossing way.
We were clearly an inner-city bunch, as everyone got progressively more lost the further we headed into the industrial backblocks and suburban developments—led astray mainly by a red Harrington Le Mans Alpine, which we kept seeing coming on the other side of the road. ‘Where’s he going? Are we lost?’ was the cry as the stragglers stopped at each intersection and roundabout.
It was the first really hot (30-degrees-plus) day of the impending summer, and everyone’s windows were down and many an anxious eye was directed at temperature gauges—even the normally cool-running Dame Zara was getting into the middle of her gauge.
Eventually we all got back on track and ended up on the long, dusty, corrugated dirt road that leads to the homestead. At the end of the drive we were greeted with dozens of Hillmans lined up around the open ground between the homestead buildings. Most of the observation run participants aimed for a shady spot under the trees by the water.
Enough words, some pics:
From top to bottom:
- Did Grace Kelly once sit behind the big steering wheel of this 1954 Sunbeam Alpine?
- A racy-looking Singer Gazelle fitted with Alpine wires (I note that it wasn’t just Gussie who had something a bit odd about how her rear wheels fitted under the arches!)
- Red ones go faster, as the convertible Super Minx and pair of Alpines (including a rare Harrington Le Mans coupe) show
- Hillmans everywhere! Husky aficionado Neil looks determined to get … somewhere (into the shade, most likely).
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